We headed out to Immokalee around sunrise, scanning a pasture (where they had the largest pile of tomatoes I have ever seen - for the cows to eat). At this location we had SANDHILL CRANE, NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, PALM WARBLER, AMERICAN ROBINS, CATBIRD, KILLDEER, LEAST SANDPIPER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, MOTTLED DUCK (*) , AMERICAN WIDGEON, RED-SHOULDERED AND RED-TAILED HAWK (the only Red-Tail on the whole trip). We then drove by some nearby agricultural areas, looking for more birds. We found WILD TURKEY, NORTHERN BOBWHITE (these two somewhat unusual that far south), CRESTED CARACARA, BLACK VULTURE, SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER, WESTERN KINGBIRD, but missed on Vermillion Flycatcher. Also had COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, TURKEY VULTURE, the common Waders and Anhinga and Moorhen, and great looks at LIMPKIN.
We birded a pasture east of Naples and found, among some cool birds, the largest pile of tomatoes we had ever seen! (Talk about acid reflux!) This was for the cows in the pasture to munch on....
Nice look at a Limpkin, near Imokalee
Black Vulture roost, near Imokalee
Zebra Longwing
A beautiful shot of a Peregrine Falcon resting on a telephone pole, obviously after a big meal!
We headed east, eventually joining I-75 only 40 miles from Fort Lauderdale. Just west of Metro Miami, we headed south, hitting Everglades Park for MONK PARAKEET. Also present were many BOAT-TAILED GRACKLES and EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES, and many ALLIGATORS! (seen throughout the Everglades, of course). Heading back west on US-41 (Tamiami Trail) through the Everglades, we got some great views of the Glades, and also picked up PURPLE GALLINULE (*), and SNAIL KITE (*), along with PIED-BILLED GREBE, and many Gators and wading birds.
This Monk Parakeet is part of a colony at Everglades Holiday Park, just west of Metro Miami/Ft. Lauderdale in the eastern Everglades.
We got a great look at a Snail Kite, along Tamiami Trail in the Glades (US41) (lifer!)
Purple Gallinule lifer along Tamiami Trail
This Pied-Billed Grebe was also along Tamiami Trail
After the Everglades, one reaches Big Cypress National Preserve, another great place to visit! We stopped at the Vistor Center on US-41 for a little while (where we saw the ever present gators, Anhinga, and Palm Warblers!) Since we were low on time, we concentrated on driving the western portion of this park's Loop Road, down to Sweetwater Slough. Great scenery! Heard the familiar GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, and saw a few warblers. At the Slough itself we found GREEN HERON, GREAT BLUE HERON, GREAT EGRET, and BLACK VULTURE.
One of the many gators we saw. This one was at the Big Cypress National Preserve Visitor Center
A sunning Anhinga at the Visitor Center
Air plants on the Big Cypress Loop Road
A cool Cypress root on the Loop Road. It looks like a castle!
A gator at Sweetwater Slough in Big Cypress
Green Heron at Sweetwater Slough
Great Egret at Sweetwater Slough
Another peaceful scene at Sweetwater Slough
Sweetwater Slough Big Cypress swamp
On our way west out of Big Cypress, we stopped at a wet spot along the road to find our lifer ROSEATE SPOONBILL! (*). Also BLUE WINGED TEAL and common waders were here, as well as another PERERGINE FALCON up close. Another good photo of this one, and his crop also appeared to be full. We made it to Marco Island Bridge right around dusk, just in time to see birds coming in to roost on A-B-C Islands. DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, ANHINGAS, WHITE IBIS, and EGRETS were flying in to roost, but the real excitment were the number of MAGNIFICANT FRIGATEBIRDS (*) flying in! This ended a great day on a very positive note! We had a great day of birding!
Our first Roseate Spoonbill (in western Big Cypress)
Another great Peregrine Falcon shot (and another with a full crop)
Sunset at Marco Island
2 comments:
Greg, Why did you have an (*) after the Mottled Duck??? Gray
Hi Gray - the * means it is a 'life bird', the first time Melissa and I have seen it together. Since she has yet to visit Florida, there were quite a few on this trip
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